Method of playing a three-part wagering game with bonus for consecutive wins

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a wagering game is described. The method requires the player to place three wagers to participate in a three-segment game. A fourth bet is played to participate in a bonus event. A first card is dealt to the dealer and each player. The high card wins the first bet. If the player and dealer tie, one-half of the player&#39;s bet is returned to the player. Additional cards are dealt according to the rules of blackjack, except a maximum of six cards are dealt in any hand. Aces may be split, and doubling down is allowed. The second bet is resolved according to the rules of blackjack, with ties pushing. Additional cards are dealt, if necessary to form a six-card hand. Hands are resolved according to standard poker rankings, and payouts are made according to a predetermined schedule, or pay table payout. If the bonus wager is made, an additional bonus payout is awarded for winning and/or pushing at least two consecutively played game segments.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/740,216 filed Dec. 18, 2000, entitled: Method ofPlaying a Three Part Wagering Game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to wagering game play methods. Inparticular, it relates to a game play method that combines elements ofseveral well-known games, such as high card, blackjack, baccarat andpoker, and includes a unique bonus event on the occurrence of winsand/or pushes on consecutively played game segments.

[0004] 2. Background of the Art

[0005] It is only within the past fifteen years that casinos haveexpanded the range of table games that are available to players. Inearlier days, casino table card games were primarily limited toblackjack and a few variations in stud poker. Now casino table cardgames may be found in a wide variety of games including Let It Ride®poker, Three Card™ poker, Caribbean Stud® poker, Spanish 21® blackjack,Casino War™, and the like. More recently, new casino table games havebeen introduced that include a number of different games that are playedconsecutively at various stages of play, with the same or differentnumber of cards used in each of the games.

[0006] The prior art relevant to the play of multiple games includes anumber of wagering games that include combinations of known gameelements, such as is described in Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643. Thisreference describes a three part wagering game, consisting of threemandatory games of war, blackjack and poker—all against a dealer's hand.The player places a wager for each game segment. The player qualifiesfor play of each game segment regardless of the outcome of previouslyplayed game segments. For example, the player may lose the high cardhand but still play out the blackjack and poker hands. This game lacks abonus payout for consecutively won and/or pushed game segments. Thisreference is described in greater detail, below. Examples of othermulti-part wagering games are described in the U.S. patents mentionedbelow.

[0007] Josephs U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,993 describes a casino wagering gamein which a player places a bet and is dealt two cards to play a modifiedform of blackjack. The dealer may take additional cards according toconventional blackjack rules, but the player receives only two cards.The player has the option of doubling his initial bet, but in contrastto the standard rules of 21, he or she may not receive an additionalcard. No additional wager is required to participate in the secondsegment of the game. The dealer's two initial cards become communitycards. The community cards are combined with the player's two cards toform a four-card poker hand. The poker hands are compared to a pay tableof predetermined winning poker hands and corresponding odds, and payoutsare made to all players who hold winning hands. Only players who beatthe dealer in blackjack advance to the poker round. This game lacks thefeature of independently playing a sequence of games, regardless of theoutcome of each individual game segment. The game also lacks the featureof a side bet on the occurrence of consecutive wins in the sequentiallyplayed game segments, and requires only a single bet for playing bothgame play segments.

[0008] Malek, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,882 describes a multi-part game thatallows each player to play against one another. The game is dealt from asix-deck shoe. The players must bet on at least two out of the threeavailable games. Players simultaneously play 21, draw poker, andbaccarat. The dealer initially deals one card to each player, and a cardto him or herself, face down. The player with the highest-ranking cardcan place an additional bet against the other players. The remainingplayers can match the bets, but must bet as a group. This game does notinclude a sequence of games, and the player has the option to refrainfrom playing one of the segments.

[0009] Macaisa, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,092 describes the sequential play ofa series of five separate games. The players have the option of playingone or more of the games. The games are: 21, roulette, baccarat, pokerand a poker jackpot game. In this game, it is not mandatory to play allgame segments. The players and the dealer receive two cards each. If theplayer has a two-card point count of 12, the dealer collects theroulette bet. If the players hold a red and a black card, the dealertakes the roulette bet. If the player holds two red cards or two blackcards, the dealer pays the player odds on the roulette bet.

[0010] The dealer deals additional optional cards to the player inaccordance with the standard rules of blackjack, except that a maximumof five cards are dealt in the 21 game. If the player busts and does nothave at least three of a kind or better, the player loses his blackjack,poker and bonus poker bet at the same time. If the player beats thedealer's 21 hand and has a pair of tens or higher, the player is paidonly on the blackjack bet. In this game, each game segment is notmandatory, and there is no bonus bet and award for consecutive winsand/or pushes on the play of each game segment.

[0011] Awada, U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,550 describes a game in which theplayers place three equal wagers to participate in the game. Players aredealt a first card. Players having a first card with a value of 9 orhigher win a payout on the first bet. Players are then dealt a secondcard. If the second card is 9 or higher, or the player holds a pair of2's through 8's, the player is awarded a payout on the second bet. Theplayers each receive three additional cards. Players combine the firsttwo cards with the three additional cards to form a five-card pokerhand. Poker hands are resolved against a pay table. Each game segment isagainst the house, and not against a dealer's hand. There is no bonusbet or side bet and there are no corresponding payouts for consecutivelywon/pushed game segments.

[0012] Awada, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643 describes a three-part wageringgame, including a first high card game, a second blackjack game, and athird poker game. An optional side bet is offered on the poker handonly. All three games are played against a dealer, and are played insequence. A standard deck of cards is used to play the game. This gameis currently in a few casinos in the United States and is marketed underthe name 3 WAY ACTION® table game. In this game, the player places three(equal or unequal) bets in betting circles corresponding to each of thethree games, or game segments. The optional bonus action bet may beplaced on the third game segment at this time and cannot be placed afterreceipt of additional cards. The first three bets are mandatory. Thedealer shuffles the cards, and deals out one card face up to eachplayer, and one card face up to himself. If the player's card has ahigher point value than the dealer's card, the player wins even money onthe first bet. Court cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) count as 10, andAces are counted as 11 in this part of the game. If the player anddealer tie, the house takes one-half of the high card bet. If the playerwins, he is awarded even money or 1:1 on his high card bet.

[0013] After all high card bets are resolved, the dealer deals oneadditional card to each player, face up, and deals himself oneadditional card, face down. The player combines his card from the highcard game with the card dealt to form a blackjack hand. If the playerhas a two-card 21, also called a “Natural”, the player wins, typicallyat 3:2 odds. The player may take hits or stand according to conventionalblackjack rules, except that the maximum number of cards he may hold inhis hand is seven.

[0014] Additionally, the dealer must take additional cards, or “hits” onhis hand so long as his total card count is 16 or less. If he reaches 7cards without achieving a 17 or greater, the player automatically wins.This rule is referred to as the “Seven Card Charlie” rule. With theException of the 7 Card Charlie situation, the player must beat thedealer in point count, without busting, to win. Winning hands areawarded a payout that is paid 3:2 odds. If the player and dealer handstie, the second wager is a push, and the wager is returned to theplayer.

[0015] According to the current game play rules of 3 WAY ACTION® tablegame, players may split pairs on Aces only, and may double down on 21wagers. The “double down” rule allows players to double the amount ofthe initial wager on their blackjack bet. In exchange for enhancing thepotential amount of their win, the player must take only one more card.No additional cards can be dealt in the play of the blackjack game afterthe third card if the player opts to double down. According to oneexemplary strategy, players may choose to double down when theirtwo-card point count is close to or equal to eleven, or when thedealer's up card is a five or a six. As part of the strategy, playersassume that the dealer's hole card has a count of ten, and that they arelikely to draw a 10 count card.

[0016] At the conclusion of the blackjack game, game play advances to apoker segment. If the player holds fewer than seven cards at theconclusion of his blackjack game, the dealer first deals cards to eachplayer so that all players hold seven cards. The dealer deals additionalcards to himself, if necessary to make his own card count equal to 7.The players and dealer make their best hand with five of the sevencards. Players win on their initial seven-card poker wager if their best5-card poker hand has a higher rank than the dealer's best 5-card pokerhand rank.

[0017] The side bet pays odds on the occurrence of certainpredetermined, high ranking poker hands. The side bet pays only foroutcomes in the third game segment, not outcomes in the other gamesegments, or combinations of outcomes of two or more game segments.

[0018] A common mistake that is made by the dealer is to deal too manycards. When too many cards are delivered to the player, the dealer mustdeclare a misdeal. Significant delays are experienced when the cardsmust be gathered, reshuffled and redealt. The dealer must count thenumber of cards held by each player and provide enough additional cardsso that each player holds seven cards. In practice, such errors arecommon, and always result in misdeals because the players are allowed toset their own hands. Once the cards are touched by the players, theorder in which they are dealt to the player is lost (since they are freeto rearrange the order of the cards), and the dealer can no longeridentify the last card dealt and take it back.

[0019] In scoring the hands, normal poker rules apply, except that eachplayer plays against the dealer and not the other players. Intraditional poker, only the higher hand between the dealer's hand andthe highest player's hand wins, according to standard poker rankings(royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush,straight, three of a kind, two pairs, a pair, high card). In bad beatpoker, the second highest hand is paid a jackpot from a “bad beat” sidebet wager prize pool. Each player compares his poker hand to the pokerhand of the dealer. All players who have a higher ranking hand than thedealer win even money, or 1:1 on the poker bet. This payout is alsodifferent from conventional poker as the hand pays odds of 1:1 insteadof paying all or a portion of a pot (the “pot” defined as a pool ofwagers collected from each participating player).

[0020] In the current form of play of the 3 WAY ACTION® table game, atthe beginning of the game before any cards are dealt, the player has theoption of placing a fourth bet on the occurrence of certain high rankingpoker hands that pay increasing payouts as the conventional pokerranking increases. For purposes of this disclosure, a “pay table sidebet” is an optional side bet that includes a set of two or morepredetermined combinations (such as a royal flush, and a straight flush,for example) with odds that increase as the frequency of occurrence ofthe combination decreases. Typically the payout odds increase with lessfrequently occurring combinations. For example, a suitable pay tableside bet for the game described above would pay the following odds: PayTable I Hand Payout Royal Flush 1000:1 Straight Flush  100:1 Four of akind  25:1 Full house   7:1 Flush   5:1 Straight   3:1 Three of a Kind  3:1

[0021] Although this game has received some level of acceptance in theindustry, it presents several drawbacks. First, blackjack dealers aretrained to sweep cards off of the table when a player's hand countexceeds 21, or busts. Because the game utilizes the same cards in thepoker hand, the dealer must learn to leave the cards on the table. Thisobstacle has successfully been reduced through dealer training.

[0022] Another more serious drawback is that the play of the game is tooslow to achieve widespread acceptance in the industry. It is well knownthat casino managers have earnings goals for each table on the casinofloor, and if the game does not perform, it is promptly removed.

[0023] When dealing the poker segment of the 3 WAY ACTION® table game,the dealer deals additional cards to each player, and waits until theplayers set their hands and discard two cards before turning up hisseven cards, and “setting” his own hand. “Setting” for purposes of thisdisclosure is arranging cards to form the highest possible ranking pokerhand. Setting the hands is time consuming, especially for dealers whohave not been trained in poker-type games where the player competesagainst the dealer such as in Pai Gow poker and Caribbean Stud® poker.Sometimes it is necessary to assist the player in setting his hand, orresetting the hand if the player did not recognize a higher ranking handthat could have been made. This leads to further delay.

[0024] Most casinos that have the game allow players to pick up theirpoker hand and arrange their cards before the dealer sets his hand. Eachplayer must put the cards in a desired order, check for flushes (samesuit), straights (sequences of cards in descending order), and likecombinations to determine how to play the hand. Additionally, the playermust choose which cards to discard. In a casino environment, thisprocess is time consuming and almost always causes delays in the game.

[0025] Although this feature is not described in the patent, in thecurrent form of the game being offered in Nevada casinos, the dealer'shand must qualify by holding an Ace or higher in order for the player towin the poker hand. In other words, after the dealer deals out theremaining cards to make his or her seven card hand, the dealer must holdan Ace or better (for example, a pair of 2's beats an Ace), otherwiseone-half of the player's poker bet is returned to the player andone-half of the bet is taken by the house.

[0026] The dealer qualification rule serves no advantage to the player,but provides the house with a distinct advantage. If for example, theplayer holds a royal flush and the dealer does not qualify, the playerwins back only one-half of his bet. In most other poker games (with theexception of Caribbean Stud that also requires dealer handqualification), a royal flush is always a winning hand. Players feel asif they have been short-changed when they achieve a high-ranking pokerhand and lose part or all of the bet.

[0027] When the players and dealer have identified their best hands,each hand is compared to the dealer hand. This process is completed onehand at a time. The dealer is required to help the player set his or herbest hand, which takes additional time. Security in a number of casinosrequires the dealer to arrange his hand so that surveillance can observehow the hand is being scored. The arranging step takes additional time.Then the hands are compared to determine who has the higher hand. Thecomparison process is also time consuming. Payouts are made as theindividual hands are resolved, taking additional time.

[0028] The long periods of time required to play this game has caused anumber of operators to remove the game from the casino floor. Otheroperators have agreed to refrain from removing the game while the gameis redesigned to speed its play. It would therefore be desirable tomodify the game so that the game play rate is increased, making the gamemore profitable for casino operators. It would also be desirable tomodify the game rules so that players always win when holdinghigh-ranking poker hands. It would additionally be desirable to offeradditional betting opportunities without significantly increasing playtime to increase casino revenue per a given amount of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention is a casino style wagering game that is acombination of at least three consecutively played game segments highcard, “21” or a 21-like multiple card game such as baccarat, and a pokergame that is played against the house. An additional “Hat Trick” bonusis awarded when the player places the optional bet, and either wins orpushes in all three consecutively played game segments. Unlike the gamedescribed in Awada U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,643, the poker hands can beresolved quickly, increasing the speed in which the game is dealt, andimproving significantly the earnings per unit of time on the game. TheHat Trick bonus increases the amount of betting action, withoutsignificantly reducing the speed of game play. The number of wagers perunit time is therefore increased, increasing casino revenue.

[0030] The method of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0031] providing one or more decks of standard playing cards;

[0032] a player placing a first wager on a first game segment against adealer;

[0033] a dealer dealing one or two cards to a player and a same numberof cards to the dealer, forming player and dealer hands;

[0034] resolving the first wager by comparing a total point value of theplayer and dealer hands, and

[0035] awarding a payout to the player if the player hand beats thedealer hand, otherwise the dealer collecting the wager;

[0036] a player placing a second wager on a second game segment (usuallyat about the same time that the first wager was placed);

[0037] a dealer dealing additional cards to each player, a total numberof cards held by each player when combined with the previously dealtcards not to exceed six to participate in a second game segment againstthe dealer, wherein the second game segment is selected from the groupconsisting of blackjack, baccarat or other game where the object is forthe player to obtain a predetermined point count or a preferred pointcount compared to the point count of the dealer;

[0038] resolving the second wager using standard rules of the selectedsecond segment game, modified by limiting a total number of cards dealtto the players to no more than 6;

[0039] a player placing a third wager on a third game segment requiringno more than 6 cards to play (usually the third wager is placed at aboutthe same time that the first wager was placed);

[0040] a dealer dealing each player additional cards, if any, so thatall players hold six cards;

[0041] resolving the third wager by comparing each player's handaccording to a set of predetermined winning hands according to the rulesof the selected game (e.g., this is typically done with a pay table, andusually a pay table shown on the casino table or on a placard or sign inthe vicinity of the casino table);

[0042] awarding a payout to the players holding predetermined winninghands;

[0043] a player optionally placing a fourth wager on the occurrence ofwinning or pushing on all three game segments (usually the third wageris placed at about the same time that the first wager was placed. Thismay include time frames where no player cards have been viewed by theplayer or where the first cards dealt to the player have been viewed bythe player); and

[0044] awarding a bonus payout when the player either wins or pushes oneach of (all three of) the three game segments.

[0045] Although the game can be played with any number of decks ofcards, the game is preferably a single deck game, utilizing a standard52 card deck of playing cards. Depending upon the individual game beingplayed, it might be more desirable to deal the game from two or moredecks. For example, the game might be played to award a progressivepayout on a fifth optional pay table bet on the occurrence of five acesof spades. The prize pool would be funded from the side bet. Thiscombination would not be possible unless the game was dealt from a five(or more) deck shoe.

[0046] The table layout used to practice the present inventionpreferably includes three betting circles detailed on each playerstation. Bets would otherwise be placed in order of the wagering events.The betting circles are preferably arranged in a straight row, the righthand circle for the high card game, the middle circle for the totalpoint count game and the left hand circle for the poker style game.Although poker against a pay table is a preferred third segment, becauseit utilizes one preferred maximum number of cards equal to six in orderto play, the third segment could be other games such as Pai Gow poker(with seven cards or a modified Pai Gow Poker with six cards and handsof 5-1 or 4-2 cards), a modified version of Gin Rummy or other gameutilizing at least the number of cards used to play the second game.

[0047] According to one form of the game of the present invention, theplayer plays high card or war against the dealer, followed by blackjackmodified by the fact that a maximum of six cards are dealt to theplayer, followed by a round of poker, where the player makes his best 5card hand from his 6 cards. Payouts are awarded according to a paytable.

[0048] The player in one embodiment of the invention places three equal(or unequal) bets, on the high card, blackjack and poker bettingcircles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical top plan view of a gaming table layoutuseful to practice the method of the present invention.

[0050]FIG. 2 is an expanded view of one of the player stations on thegaming table layout.

[0051]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical top plan view of a gaming table layoutuseful to practice the consecutive win/push bonus method of the presentinvention.

[0052]FIG. 4 is an expanded view of one of the player stations on thegaming table layout including a win/push bonus betting circle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0053] The present invention is a novel casino style card game that canbe played in a casino environment, on a gaming machine, on a personalcomputer for pure entertainment and practice, or in an Internet casinoin jurisdictions that allow on-line wagering.

[0054] The method of the present invention in one form can be played ona gaming table such as the table 10 shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.The gaming table has a chip tray 12, six-dealer card placement areas 14a-f, and six player positions 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 (more or fewerpositions may be provided, up to a maximum of seven positions with asingle deck shoe and six cards maximum hands for players). Dealerplacement areas 14 a-f are required only when the dealer has a limit of6 cards. In the first example of the invention, the dealer can take anunlimited number of cards, and placement areas 14 a-f are not necessary.

[0055] The table 10 is preferably equipped with an automatic cardshuffler 28 such as the type described in Pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/688,597, filed Oct. 16, 2000, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference. That card shuffler application, aswell as the present application are commonly owned by Shuffle Master,Inc.

[0056] The dealer removes one or more decks of shuffled cards from thecard shuffler 28, collects bets, awards payoffs and deals and collectscards according to standard casino dealing procedures and according tothe procedures specified for the play of the game of this invention. Inone preferred form of the invention, the shuffler 28 randomizes a singledeck of cards. In other forms of the invention, the shuffler randomizestwo or more decks of cards. Cards are either delivered as randomizedhands, randomized decks or randomized groups of multiple decks of cards.

[0057] Each player position 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 is substantiallyidentical. An exemplary player position is shown in FIG. 2. Each playerposition includes an area 30 to place a first game segment wager (in thefirst example, a high card wager either against the dealer or based onan absolute value of the first card, e.g., at least a rank of 9 orhigher), an area for a second game segment wager 32 (in the firstexample, a 21 wager), and an area for a third game segment 34 (in thefirst example, a poker wager against the house or a pay table bet).Beneath the third betting area 34 is printed a pay table including aplurality of predetermined winning hands, and corresponding payout odds.As the frequency of occurrence of the winning hands decrease, the payoutodds increase. In the example shown in FIG. 2, there are ninepredetermined winning hands when the third segment is poker, withpayouts ranging between 1:1 and 100:1. The purpose and function of thepay tables will be described in more detail below.

[0058] A non-limiting method of playing the wagering game may compriseproviding one or more decks of standard playing cards. A player mayplace a first wager on a first game segment of rank and/or count playingagainst a dealer. A dealer deals X number of cards to each player(preferably 1 or 2 cards) and a same number of cards to the dealer,forming player hands and a dealer hand. The first wager is resolved bycomparing a total point value or rank of the player's hand and dealer'shands, and awarding a payout to the player if the player hand beats thedealer hand according to the rules of the first game segment. A playerplaces a second wager on a second game segment (usually at or about thesame time that the player placed a wager on the first game segment). Adealer deals additional cards, if needed, (as when two cards were dealtin the first game and the second game is blackjack and the player/dealerelects or must stay) to each player hand. The deal of cards is limitedto a total number of cards held by each player and the dealer whencombined with the previously dealt cards so as not to exceed six toparticipate in a second game against the dealer. The second game, forexample, is selected from the group consisting of blackjack andbaccarat. The second wager is resolved using standard rules of theselected second game. A player places a third wager on a third gamesegment (also at or about the same time that the first and second wagerswere placed). A dealer deals each player additional cards, if any areneeded, so that all players hold six cards. The third wager is resolvedby comparing each player's hand (usually the best five card poker handthat may be set from the six cards in the player's hand) to a pay table.A payout is awarded to the players holding predetermined winning handsaccording to the pay table. The third game segment is preferablyselected from the group consisting of poker and gin rummy. A player mayhave placed a fourth wager on a bonus game segment (again at or aboutthe time that the first, second and third game segment wagers wereplaced). This fourth wager is resolved by paying the player a payout forat least two wins or pushes on played game segments, and preferably onconsecutively played game segments.

[0059] The method may be played, for example, where all four wagers areplaced prior to the dealer dealing any cards. The first three wagers maybe mandatory, and the fourth bet may be optional. The method may beplayed, by way of non-limiting examples, where X is equal to 1, and thedealer deals one card to the player and one card to the dealer. Onealternative of play is where the second game segment is 21 or a modifiedversion of 21. Non-limiting examples of modified versions of 21 arewhere the modifications are selected from the group consisting of:

[0060] a maximum of six cards are dealt to player;

[0061] if the player receives 6 cards without reaching 21, and thedealer does not have a two card natural, the player wins the blackjackhand; and

[0062] players can split pairs only on Aces.

[0063] The method of the present invention includes providing one ormore decks of standard playing cards to play the game. Although thisgame can be dealt as a multiple deck game, in the first example of theinvention, a standard fifty-two card deck of cards is used. The deckcould also be modified by adding wild cards, removing certain cards,etc. to suit the particular game rules being followed. Special carddecks could also be used.

[0064] According to the invention, players who participate in the gameare required to participate in each of three game play segments. Awinning outcome is not required to win a game segment in order toadvance to the next game segment. Typically, a wager is placed on allthree segments (and the optional bonus event side wager is placed)before the first card is dealt. In other examples of the invention, theplayer places a first wager only prior to the first card being dealt,and subsequent wagers in later stages of the game (with the side betbonus wager placed at the time of the first or second wager).

[0065] According to one aspect of the invention, a player places a firstwager on a first game against the dealer. In one example of theinvention, each of the three wagers is equal in value. In other examplesof the invention, unequal values may be bet, at the option of theplayer. The dealer then deals to himself and each player one card toparticipate in a high card game. If the player beats the dealer byholding a card with a higher count than the dealer, the dealer pays theplayer according to predetermined payout odds on the first bet. In thefirst example of the invention, the payout to the player is 1:1 for awinning high card hand. Aces count as 11 points in this segment of thegame. A bonus payout for an Ace or for both the player and dealerreceiving an Ace may be made (e.g., a payout of 3:2 against the firstwager).

[0066] In the event that the player and dealer have the same pointcount, one-half of the player's bet is returned to the player. The otherone-half of the bet is collected by the house. In another example,pushes are resolved in favor of the house. In a third example, pushesare resolved in favor of the player.

[0067] In a first example of the invention, the player places a secondbet on the play of a 21 game or similar game whose object is to achievea target point count, such as baccarat. As mentioned above, this wageris typically placed before the first card is dealt, and is typicallyequal in value to the first wager. When the selected game is 21, it ispreferred that the number of cards dealt in the first hand is limitedto 1. Otherwise, the dealer's hole card would be revealed in the firstgame segment and prior to the play of the 21 hand, interfering with thenormal play of the game.

[0068] Because all cards in the first segment are carried forward intothe second segment, the game rules must be selected so that one set ofgame rules does not interfere with the strategy of the other gamesegments. The player receives a second card from the dealer, and thedealer deals himself a card face down. Play continues according to thestandard rules of blackjack with the following exceptions: 1) a maximumnumber of cards dealt to the player and dealer cannot exceed 6 forreasons explained below, 2) if the player holds six cards with a totalpoint count less than 21, the player automatically wins unless thedealer has a 2 card 21 or a “natural”, and 3) players can split pairs onAces only. Doubling down (doubling the initial amount of 21 bet afterreceiving the first 2 cards and viewing the dealer's up card, and thenreceiving only a single additional card in the play of the 21 game)under traditional 21 rules is permitted. Ties in the 21 game are a push,and the player's wager is returned to the player. As with traditional21, the player may only have one more card to complete the 21 segment ofplay after doubling down, but in any event, the player cannot receivemore than six cards. The number of cards dealt to each player in thefirst example of the game depends upon player preference. While someplayers may stand with two cards, others may request the full permittednumber of six cards.

[0069] In another example of the invention, the dealer may take a totalof only 6 cards. In this example, if the dealer does not achieve a pointcount of seventeen or higher by the time the dealer takes his sixthcard, the player automatically wins the blackjack round.

[0070] It was discovered that by reducing the total number of cardsbeing dealt in each hand from the prior art amount of seven as describedin Awada, the rate of play of the second game segment, as well as thethird game segment increases. Once dealers become accustomed to dealingonly six cards total per person, the time spent in counting player cardcount totals and dealing additional cards will be reduced by havingfewer cards on the table. Fewer cards also add additional security tothe game. As the number of total cards handled by the player decreases,the chances of the cards being marked decreases also.

[0071] In another example of the invention, players receive only oneadditional card and the players combined two card point total mustexceed the point total of the dealer in order to win the second bet.Although this is not a traditional method of playing blackjack, itsimplifies the dealing procedures because every player holds the samenumber of cards in each segment of play. If each player received onecard in the first segment, and one additional card in the secondsegment, each player would hold two cards at the beginning of the thirdsegment. In the third segment of play, the dealer deals four additionalcards until the total number of cards in each hand is 6. If the dealergave each player four additional cards at the beginning of the thirdsegment, the need to take an inventory of existing cards and count up to6 would be eliminated, simplifying dealing procedures, speeding gameplay and eliminating misdeals.

[0072] In yet another form of the game, baccarat is played instead of 21in the second gaming segment. The object of baccarat is to achieve apoint count with the last digit of 9, and to beat the other hand bybeing closer to the last digit of 9. Banker and player hands are played.The player can bet on either of the hands. In order to win, the hand theplayer bet on must beat the other hand according to the rules of thegame. Ten point cards count as zero, so in this example, the playercannot bust. The player can only draw a total of six cards, according tothe invention.

[0073] Any game would be suitable for playing the second game segment aslong as the maximum number of cards needed for successive games is notexceeded. For example, another “high card” game could be played withsumming of the point count of three cards dealt (one card dealt in thefirst high card game, and two additional cards dealt in the second highcard game). Or, a three-card poker game could be played as the secondsegment game.

[0074] It is preferable to select dissimilar games so that the effect ofa poor hand in an earlier segment does not adversely affect the player'swinning potential in playing later segments. If the strategy of eachgame is different, the players are more likely to win at least onesegment, and have a positive gaming experience.

[0075] At the conclusion of play of the blackjack or other equivalentgame, play proceeds to the third segment, regardless of the outcome inthe first and second games. The dealer must take an inventory of thecards on the table, and deal enough additional cards to each player togive each player a total of six cards. The reduction in the number ofcards from seven as shown in the prior art to six speeds the play of thegame. However, it is believed that more cards can be dealt at anacceptable speed if the game segment that requires a player to comparehis hand to a plurality of winning outcomes utilizes a pay table payoutsystem.

[0076] In a first example of the invention, the third game segment ispoker. Poker hands (formed from the best 5 out of 6 cards) are resolvedagainst a pay table as shown in FIG. 2. Applicant has discovered thatthe primary reason why the prior art game described in Awada U.S. Pat.No. 5,988,643 plays too slowly, is because the poker hand takes too muchtime to resolve. In order to overcome this shortcoming, the poker handis resolved against a pay table of predetermined winning outcomes orcombinations, and payouts are made according to a table of correspondingpayout odds. This method of play also eliminates the need for additionalcards having to be dealt to the dealer and the time required to set thedealer's hand.

[0077] Applicant surprisingly discovered that eliminating competitionagainst the dealer achieved a number of important improvements. First,the dealer qualification requirement in the prior art game waseliminated to speed up the game and eliminate a negative feature of thegame. It is no longer necessary to take an inventory of dealer cards anddeal additional dealer cards to make a seven-card hand (or a six cardhand in the play of the present game). Second, reducing the number ofplayer cards from seven to six reduces the amount of time needed to dealthe entire game. Third, it has become possible to adjust the hitfrequency and percentage hold on the game, which was not previouslypossible. Games that allow the supplier to vary the hit frequency andhold percentage generally appeal to more operators. If an operator isdisappointed in the revenue generated off of a game, it is possible tomodify the pay table in order to increase casino revenue and avoidhaving the game removed from the casino floor.

[0078] Two non-limiting examples of suitable pay tables for the pokergame segment are provided in Tables A and B, below. Hand Payout Table ARoyal Flush 100:1  Straight Flush 50:1  Four of a Kind 25:1  Full House15:1  Flush 8:1 Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind 3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Aces1:1 Hit Frequency:   23% Percent Hold: 2.84% Table B Royal Flush 100:1 Straight Flush 50:1  Four of a Kind 15:1  Full House 10:1  Flush 6:1Straight 5:1 Three of a Kind 3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair Kings or higher 1:1Hit Frequency:   27% Percent Hold: 2.31%

[0079] As seen by comparing the theoretical outcomes of the pay tablesshown in Tables A and B, both the hit frequency and percentage hold (the% of the wagers placed retained by the casino, expressed as a percentageof wagers placed) can be modified by altering the payouts on selectedpredetermined winning card combinations. In the first example of theinvention, players are not permitted to pick up their cards. All cardsare dealt face up. It was discovered that misdeals can be avoided mostof the time by not letting the players touch the cards. As mentioned inthe background section, one of the training issues with the prior artAwada game is taking a correct inventory of cards prior to dealing outthe cards for the third segment of play. In the prior art form of play,each and every time a dealer deals too many cards, he must declare amisdeal, wait for the pit boss to confirm it, collect the cards,reshuffle the deck (or use a different newly shuffled deck), andredistribute the cards. One misdeal can conceivably cause up to 5minutes of dead time at a table.

[0080] When players are not permitted to touch the cards, many misdealscan be resolved by the pit boss simply removing the extra card andgiving it to the next player. If the error is caught prior to theremaining hands being dealt, a misdeal and corresponding delay can becompletely avoided.

[0081] In a first example of the invention, each player uses his sixcards to form the best possible five card poker hand. The dealer isresponsible for setting the player's hand. In another example, theplayers can touch the cards and set their own hand. “Setting” forpurposes of this disclosure is arranging cards and determining the bestpoker hand ranking for a given group of cards. In one preferred form ofthe game, the players set their own hands, and then the dealer isrequired to reset the hand to improve it, if possible.

[0082] Payouts are awarded, for example, according to one of the paytables shown in Examples A and B. For example, if a player obtains aflush and pay table A applies, the player is paid 8:1 on the thirdsegment bet. Although poker hand rankings and rules are well known, thepresent invention contemplates that the third game can be another gameutilizing a fixed number of cards equal to or exceeding the number ofcards used in the second segment, and having objects and rules that aresubstantially different from that of the second segment. For example, amodified form of gin rummy could be played with six cards. Players wouldlook for pairs, three of a kind and runs. What is important is that whenthe third segment is a game that requires the player to achieve one of anumber of predetermined combinations, the payouts be according to a paytable rather than resolved against a dealer to maintain the speed of thegame.

[0083] The examples described above are merely exemplary and are in noway intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, althoughin one example all of the bets placed are equal, the inventioncontemplates allowing players to place unequal bets. Side bets on theoccurrence of predetermined hands or events could be added to the game,and the game could further be modified to return greater amounts to theplayers, or the house, according to requests from casino customers.

[0084] An example of one side bet that can be added to the game toincrease action and provide greater player enjoyment is a “hat trick”bonus. In the game of hockey, when a single player scores three goals inthe same game, the achievement is referred to as a ‘hat trick.’ In thegame of the present invention, players have the option to place a sidewager on the occurrence of multiple wins on consecutively played gamesegments, preferably a win on all three game segments.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 3, a gaming table layout 99 is provided withmultiple betting areas 101, each with three betting circles 100, 102 and104. The layout 99 is mounted to a gaming table 103. A chip tray 105 ismounted in the gaming table, and a card shuffler 107 is provided fordelivering randomized hands, decks or multiple deck groups of cards tothe dealer.

[0086] The layout enables the player to play three separate gamesegments, as well as a bonus bet circle 106 that allows the player tooptionally participate in the unique side bet feature of the presentinvention. In one preferred form of the invention, each player and thedealer receive a total of six cards by the conclusion of play of thethird game segment. Dealer card positions 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 and118 for positioning dealer cards for the first and/or second gamesegments. The third game segment is played against a pay table 120.

[0087] In a preferred form of the game, a hat trick bonus betting circle106 is provided. Players may make a bet that is equal to one or more ofthe three previous bets, or are unequal. When the player either wins atleast two, and preferably three consecutively played game segments, theplayer wins a payout on the hat trick bet. For example, when the first,second and third game segments are war, blackjack and poker (against apay table), the player is entitled to a payout for winning the high cardand blackjack games, the blackjack and poker games, or the high card,blackjack and poker games. In a preferred form of the invention, apayout is awarded only for three consecutively won and/or pushed gamesegments. In another preferred form of the invention, the player wins apayout for either consecutive wins or ties (pushes) or othercombinations of wins and ties. For example, if the player and dealer tiein the high card game, and the player wins the blackjack and pokergames, the player wins the hat trick bonus. It is preferred that theplayer wins or pushes all games played against the dealer in order toqualify to win the hat trick bonus.

[0088] A “win” in the poker game is defined as the minimum ranking handthat pays 1:1 or greater on the pay table. In the example shown in FIG.4, the player must hold a pair of aces or better to win the poker game.Below are two exemplary pay tables for the play of one preferred form ofthe invention, including high card, modified blackjack and 5 card pokeragainst a pay table. In both examples, the bonus bet pays 6:1 on theoccurrence of a win or push on the high card and 21 hands, and a win onthe poker hand. It is to be understood that the selection of the payoutodds on the side bet is a matter of choice and can be modified asnecessary to make the game more player friendly, or more casinofriendly. It is also possible to provide special awards for combinationsof ranked wins in the three game segments, such as providing a specialaward for an Ace on the first card, a blackjack or baccarat (count of 9)on the second game segment, and at least 3-of-a-kind or higher in thepoker segment.

Exemplary Pay Tables

[0089] Pay Table 1 ROYAL FLUSH 500 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH 50 TO 1  FOUR OFA KIND 20 TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT 4 TO 1 THREE OFA KIND 2 TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 Hit Freq: 34.60%House edge:  5.59% Hat Trick Bonus 6 to 1 Hit Freq: 12.50% House edge:12.40% Pay Table 2 ROYAL FLUSH 200 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH 60 TO 1  FOUR OFA KIND 20 TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT 4 TO 1 THREE OFA KIND 2 TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 Hit Freq: 34.60%House edge:  5.78% Hat Trick Bonus 6 to 1 Hit Freq:  12.5% House edge: 12.4%

[0090] In both exemplary pay tables, the house edge is higher on theside bet than on the base game. This is a common feature of bonus games.The lower hit frequency allows for higher payouts when a player is luckyenough to win the bonus bet. The poker game pay tables can be modifiedto increase or decrease the house edge, and balance the trade-offsbetween attracting players and earning revenue.

[0091] The above description provides non-limiting examples of thepractice of the invention, Many variations within the envisioned scopeof practice of the invention have been provided, but additionalvariations are within the province of the ordinarily skilled artisan andare contemplated within the scope of the invention as claimed. The aboveexamples are non-limiting in scope and provide support for a genericscope of practicing the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of playing a wagering game, comprising:Providing one or more decks of standard playing cards; A player placinga first wager on a first game segment against a dealer; A dealer dealingX number of cards to each player and a same number of cards to thedealer, forming player and dealer hands; Resolving the first wager bycomparing a total point value of the player and dealer hands, andawarding a payout to the player if the player hand beats the dealer handaccording to the rules of the first game segment; A player placing asecond wager on a second game segment; A dealer dealing additional cardsto each player hand, a total number of cards held by each player and thedealer when combined with the previously dealt cards not to exceed sixto participate in a second game against the dealer, wherein the secondgame is selected from the group consisting of blackjack and baccarat;Resolving the second wager using standard rules of the selected secondgame; A player placing a third wager on a third game segment; A dealerdealing each player additional cards, if any, so that all players holdsix cards; Resolving the third wager by comparing each player's hand toa pay table; Awarding a payout to the players holding predeterminedwinning hands according to the pay table, wherein the third game segmentis selected from the group consisting of poker and gin rummy; A playerplacing fourth wager on a bonus game segment; and Resolving the fourthwager by paying the player a payout for at least two wins or pushes onconsecutively played game segments.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinall four wagers are placed prior to the dealer dealing any cards.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first three wagers are mandatory, and thefourth bet is optional.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein X is equal to1, and the dealer deals one card to the player and one card to thedealer.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second game segment is 21or a modified version of
 21. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein thesecond game segment is a modified version of 21 and the modificationsinclude modifications that are selected from the group consisting of: Amaximum of six cards are dealt to player; If the player receives 6 cardswithout reaching 21, and the dealer does not have a 2 card natural, theplayer wins the blackjack hand; and Players can split pairs only onAces.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of collectingone-half of the player's wager on the first game segment if the playerand dealer tie.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third segment ispoker.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the poker hands are resolvedaccording to payout rates that are at least the rates of one of thefollowing pay tables: Pay Table 1 ROYAL FLUSH 500 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH50 TO 1  FOUR OF A KIND 20 TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT4 TO 1 THREE OF A KIND 2 TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 HatTrick Bonus 6 to 1 Pay Table 2 ROYAL FLUSH 200 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH 60TO 1  FOUR OF A KIND 20 TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT 4TO 1 THREE OF A KIND 2 TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 HatTrick Bonus 6 to 1


10. The method of claim 1, wherein a tie in a first game is resolved infavor of the house.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein players are notpermitted to touch cards during game play.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein a payout is paid on the fourth wager for wins and/or pushes onthree consecutively played game segments.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the player is paid odds on the fourth wager.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a payout is paid on the fourth wager for wins and/orpushes on at least two consecutively played game segments.
 15. A methodof playing a wagering game, comprising: Providing a first wagering gamesegment with a first set of game rules, the first wagering gamerequiring a first number of cards of at least 1; Providing a secondwagering game segment with a second set of game rules that differ fromthe first set of game rules such that a losing outcome in the firstwagering game does not disadvantage the player in the second game, andproviding a second number of cards, wherein the second number of cardsrequired to play the game is greater than or equal to the first numberof cards; Providing a third wagering game segment with a third set ofgame rules that differ from the second set of game rules such that alosing outcome in the second wagering game does not disadvantage theplayer in the third game, and providing a third number of cards, whereina number of cards required to play the third wagering game is greaterthan or equal to the second number of cards; Placing a wager on each ofthe first, second and third game segments; Placing an optional fourthwager on the occurrence of at least two player wins and/or pushes in atleast two consecutively played game segments; Playing each of the threegame segments, wherein each card used in a previous game segment isavailable to be used in subsequent game play segments; Scoring thesegments whose rules of at least one of the game segments requirecomparison of the hand with a plurality of predetermined winningoutcomes by utilizing only a pay table; and Paying the player a payoutfor winning or pushing on at least two consecutively played gamesegments.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first game segment ishigh card.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second game segmentis 21 or a variant of
 21. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the secondgame segment is played according to the rules of 21, modified by atleast one rule change selected from the group consisting of: A maximumof six cards are dealt to player; If the player receives 6 cards withoutreaching 21, and the dealer does not have a 2 card natural, the playerwins the blackjack hand; and Players can split pairs only on Aces. 19.The method of claim 14, wherein the third game segment is poker. PayTable 1 ROYAL FLUSH 500 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH 50 TO 1  FOUR OF A KIND 20TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT 4 TO 1 THREE OF A KIND 2TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 Hat Trick Bonus 6 to 1 PayTable 2 ROYAL FLUSH 200 TO 1  STRAIGHT FLUSH 60 TO 1  FOUR OF A KIND 20TO 1  FULL HOUSE 6 TO 1 FLUSH 5 TO 1 STRAIGHT 4 TO 1 THREE OF A KIND 2TO 1 TWO PAIR 3 TO 2 JACKS OR BETTER 1 TO 1 Hat Trick Bonus 6 to 1


20. The method of claim 19 wherein the pay table is one of thefollowing:
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein players are not permittedto touch cards.
 22. The method of claim 15, wherein a maximum number ofcards dealt to each player is 6 and the poker game uses five cards indetermining the rank of the player's hand.
 23. The method of claim 15,wherein the first and second segment games require the players to playagainst the dealer, and the third segment requires the player to playagainst a pay table.
 24. The method of claim 15, wherein a payout isawarded on the fourth wager when the player wins or pushes on each ofthree consecutively played game segments.
 25. A side bet method for acasino card game, comprising: placing a wager on a multiple segmentwagering game; placing a side bet on the occurrence of a win and/or pushon at least two consecutively played game segments; resolving eachsegment of the multiple segment wagering game; and awarding a payout forwinning and/or pushing at least two consecutively played game segments.26. The side bet method of claim 25, wherein the side bet is optional.27. The side bet method of claim 25, wherein the wagering game has threesegments.
 28. The side bet method of claim 27, wherein a payout is madefor each player winning and/or pushing all three game segments after theplayer has placed the side bet.
 29. The side bet method of claim 27,wherein the three segments are a) high card, b) 21 or a variation of 21,and c) poker against a pay table.
 30. The side bet method of claim 25,wherein the player is paid odds for winning and/or pushing threeconsecutively played game segments.